Snowstorm: Rewritten
by Shadeflare123 of AC
Summary: Tara's never been someone who likes having company. She doesn't let herself get close to anyone. But sometimes there are people who will worm their way into your heart, and you can't do much about that...Even random people you meet on the beach. (EvexOC) (The rewritten version of an old fanfiction I wrote a while back)
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL. All characters belong to the amazing Hiro Mashima. Not me. The only character I DO own is Tara. Okay? Okay. GOOD.**

**So, uh…Hi. In case you don't know, a while back I started a fanfiction called "Snowstorm". This fanfiction was an EvexOC story. But in the later chapters, I kind of realized that…It was REALLY crappy. Like…Horrible. So, I decided to finish the fanfiction, and then rewrite it! This is the first chapter of the rewritten version of Snowstorm, called "Snowstorm: Rewritten".**

**Uh…Enjoy, even though it'll probably be as horrible as the previous version.**

**I'm so sorry.**

It was a sunny day in the land of Crocus. The ocean tide collided with the warm sand, making it a perfect beach day. Three girls sat in beach chairs:

One with blonde hair.

One with red hair.

And one with brown hair.

And, to the side of a casino located on the beach were three people. Those people were the Trimens: Hibiki Laytis, Ren Akatsuki, and Eve Tearm. The three men had been eyeing said three girls on the beach, and were preparing some strategy for approaching them.

"Lucy and Erza we're familiar with, but the third girl's new." Ren sighed.

"Mhm…Who is she?" Eve asked.

"Ah, let me find her. Chances are she's a Fairy Tail member like Lucy and Erza." Hibiki stated.

He used his Archive magic to pull up several screens and a keyboard. He began typing away, looking at the three separate screens.

"Ah, here she is." Hibiki said after a minute and a half. "Her name's Tara. Tara Prayro. She's eighteen, brown hair, 5"3, hazel eyes, small frame. Staff Requip Magic-"

Ren and Eve looked at each other, and four words were passed through sheer expression:

Hibiki Laytis: Master Stalker.

"Staff Requip…?" Eve asked.

"It's sort of like Erza's magic-Only with Staffs in particular. Each Staff basically allows the user to control whatever element that Staff represents, so Fire Staffs let her control fire, for instance." Hibiki answered quickly.

"Hibiki, you're such a stalker…" Ren muttered.

"I prefer the term 'skilled researcher'." Hibiki retorted.

"Hey, is that a picture of her?" Eve asked.

With the swipe of his hand, Hibiki made one screen flip to the side. It showed the girl he had described at a table, reading a book. She seemed to be too interested in what she was reading to be aware that her picture was being taken.

"Huh, she's cute." Eve stated, grinning.

"Alright, then, you can take her. Ren, you'll take Erza and I'll take Lucy. Got it?" Hibiki said.

"Sounds good."

"Alright."

The three young men walked over to Lucy, Erza, and Tara casually. The three of them basically surrounded the girls with Ren next to Erza, Hibiki next to Lucy, and Eve next to Tara.

"I swear to Mavis, if you three say a word I'll bury you in the sand and leave you to drown." Erza growled, annoyed.

"Hey, now, no need to be violent. Just relax, Erza. Not that I care." Ren stated in his smoothest voice possible.

"Can't a few girls just…Relax?" Lucy asked, exasperated.

"Well, we can help you relax if you want. We're just here to make your day better." Hibiki replied.

"Then leave." Lucy sighed.

Tara set down the book she was reading, and looked up at Eve. "And…Who are you?" She asked, suspicion in her eyes.

"Tara, just…Don't ask them any questions, and don't answer any of theirs." Lucy said.

"Trust me, they get to you after a while." Erza growled.

"Well, I'm Eve Tearm. That's Ren Akatsuki and Hibiki Laytis." Eve replied cheerfully.

His cheeriness sort of…Confused Tara…

"If you're here to simply annoy us…I suggest you leave." Tara replied curtly.

"Well, we're not here to annoy you." Hibiki replied.

"Oh, yeah right." Erza sighed.

"It's hard for me to stand being around a lot of people, just leave." Tara sighed.

"Aw, but we don't wanna leave." Eve replied, his cheeriness still apparent.

"We just want to talk." Ren added. "It's not like we wanted to talk to you, especially, or anything…"

"How about we take you three to the casino and get some food?" Hibiki asked.

"Will you pay for it?" Erza and Lucy asked.

"Yeah, sure." Ren replied.

"Alright, fine…" Lucy sighed. "But only if you pay for everything."

"And buy cake." Erza added.

"Alright, whatever you ladies want." Hibiki said, smiling.

Erza and Lucy hesitantly got out of their chairs.

"Tara, are you coming?" Lucy asked.

"…No, I'll stay here." Tara stated, somewhat quiet.

"Alright…" Erza replied.

The four headed over to the casino, Erza and Lucy trying to maintain a distance.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" Tara asked Eve. They were the only ones left.

And then there were two.

"Not unless you are. Which I'm pretty sure you aren't, considering you're clearly the type of person who doesn't like crowds." Eve replied, still grinning.

"No, I'm not." Tara replied. "Which is why I wish you'd go with them."

"Well, I'd prefer to stay here with you!" Eve stated.

Still grinning.

"Er…Why?" Tara asked.

"Because, you're cute!" Eve replied cheerily, patting her head.

What the hell?

"Don't call me cute, and don't pat my head." Tara growled, annoyed.

"Aw, okay." Eve sighed.

The Snow Mage had kept her talking for about an hour. Tara became increasingly annoyed, until she eventually stated that she had to go return the book to Levy and ran off. She sped toward Honeybone, until she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Eve was following her, holding something. Tara sped up her pace, to the point of where she was almost running. But unfortunately for her, Eve caught up with her.

"Tara!" He shouted, finally grabbing her wrist.

"Mavis, what do you want?!" Tara growled.

"You said you had to return that book to Levy, but…You left it out on the beach." Eve stated, holding the book out to her.

_Oh. Well…Crap._

"Er…Thanks." Tara responded curtly before turning and walking away.

Eve smiled softly. He knew she would turn around eventually. In 3…2…1…

Sure enough, Tara turned her head just a little bit. Just out of curiosity. And there he was, smiling at her. She walked away even faster, feeling awkward.

So, very awkward.

**God I feel like this was a weak first chapter. Oh well…It'll hopefully get better later on.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Blah blah Fairy Tail, blah blah I don't own it, blah blah blah…**

**So…Here we go!**

Tara sighed as she opened the door to Honeybone, quickly closing the door behind her. She walked over to her bed and promptly slumped down face-first into her pillow.

"Oh, there you are, Tara. We got back about fifteen minutes ago." Lucy greeted, looking up from the paper she was writing on.

"Where were you…?" Erza asked curiously.

"Dealing with the most annoying person I've ever met in my life." Tara replied.

"I'm so sorry." Lucy stated, trying not to laugh.

"Ugh…How is it that people can irritate me so much?" Tara groaned.

"People are like that. But sometimes they grow on you." Erza chuckled.

Tara sighed. "Whatever…"

"Hey, isn't the opening event for the Grand Magic Games supposed to happen soon…?" Lucy asked Erza.

"It goes on at midnight." Erza answered.

"Oh, that…I'm supposed to head to where it's being held in a few hours." Tara sighed.

"I'm going to head out and look for Levy-chan…I'll see you two later." Lucy said, smiling as she left.

"Speaking of which, where's Wendy?" Erza asked.

"I…Don't know…" Tara stated, getting up.

"Hm…The event starts soon! Lucy had better hurry up and get back…And where is everyone else?" Erza asked, distressed. "Warren, are you there?"

A voice rang in Tara's head. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Where's Wendy?" Tara asked.

"…I don't know…I'll ask the others to look for her." Warren stated.

"Alright." Erza replied.

But as the hours passed by, Wendy was nowhere to be found. Tara had gone out to look for the missing girl and her Exceed, as Wendy had always been rather kind to her. But soon, midnight struck. Tara looked up worriedly…She hoped that someone had taken her place, and continued searching. Eventually, Lisanna and Happy found Wendy and Carla unconscious. Tara was both relieved and worried…What had happened to Wendy?

…**The Next Day…**

"Tara."

…

"Tara!"

…

"TARA!"

"Gyah!"

CRASH!

"Ow…" Tara growled, rubbing her head. She had leaped off her bed out of surprise.

"Sorry, but…The event's about to start…" Levy said apologetically.

"O-Oh…" Tara mumbled, getting to her feet.

Tara and Levy quickly left Honeybone, and headed straight for the stadium that, of course, none of Fairy Tail's two teams knew of. They entered the crowded arena, quickly running through the hallways and up to the stands where the rest of Fairy Tail was eagerly waiting. Tara was tired from falling off her bed and then being forced to run across the town, and sat down hoping to catch a few last minutes of sleep. But then, a booming voice jolted her from near sleep.

"THE EIGHTH PLACE TEAM HAS ARRIVED AT THE COLOSSEUM! IT'S TIME TO INTRODUCE OUR COMPETING GUILDS!" The voice shouted.

"G-Gah…" Tara muttered, her ears ringing.

"I'm Chapati Lola, covering today's events! I'm accompanied by former Magic Council member, Yazima-san!" A chipper voice said into the microphone.

"It's my pleasure to be here." Yazima said. He sounded old.

"For day one's guest, we are privileged to have Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus, also known as Miss Fiore, join us!" The chipper voice continued.

"We're gonna win this year!" A female voice said.

Ah, Jenny Realight…Tara heard about her somewhere…

"OUR EIGHTH TEAM! RETURNING FROM SEVEN YEARS OF SLEEP! FAIRY TAIL!"

Tara's guildmates shouted at the top of their lungs…But the crowd's booing and hisses resounded even louder. Tara sunk further into her seat…Seething with rage. Sure, Fairy Tail's strength had greatly decreased when the Tenrou Team disappeared, but they were back now! That wasn't fair…

Then, on the ledge keeping the audience from falling, a young-looking girl was cheering. Tara was shocked by her sudden appearance…_Isn't that the First Master of Fairy Tail? Mavis Vermillion?_

"OUR SEVENTH PLACE TEAM! THE HOUNDS OF HELL, QUATRO CERBERUS!"

"OUR SIXTH PLACE TEAM! DANCERS OF THE OCEAN, MERMAID HEEL!"

"OUR FIFTH PLACE TEAM! THE WINGS THAT SPARKLE IN THE DARK, BLUE PEGASUS!"

Tara looked down at the competitors. For some reason, Eve caught her eye. He glanced up and winked at her, before briefly saying something to Hibiki. And…Is that a rabit?

_What the hell…?_

"OUR FOURTH PLACE TEAM! THE GODDESS OF LOVE AND WAR! LAMIA SCALE!"

"OUR THIRD PLACE TEAM! A FIRST-TIME GUILD, RAVEN TAIL!"

Raven Tail…? Tara narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the Raven Tail members. Did they really take Fairy Tail's name…?

"COULD THIS BE THE OPPORTUNITY THEY NEED? OUR SECOND PLACE TEAM, FAIRY TAIL B TEAM!"

Tara couldn't help but grin at Fairy Tail A Team's shocked expression as Mirajane, Juvia, 'Mystogan', Gajeel, and Laxus stepped out into the arena. Natsu was shouting something at Gajeel, while the rest stood stunned. Makarov began to laugh hysterically, shouting "SEE?! THAT'S WHAT FAIRY TAIL IS!"

"AND FINALLY, OUR FIRST PLACE TEAM! THE BEST, THE UNDEFEATED! SABERTOOTH!"

The crowd's roaring increased drastically as Sabertooth took the field. Tara growled in frustration and covered her ears.

"Now then, here are the programs for the Grand Magic Tournament!" Chapati's voice rang.

A wooden board appeared out of thin air. It was large, and Tara saw the words "Hidden + Battle" inscribed on it, she assumed for today.

"Teams have varying points, based on their placement in the preliminary event!" He continued. "The rules for the battles are simple. The sponsor will choose who goes up against who, considering factors such as fan favorites! The selected members will fight with a time limit of thirty minutes! They will fight until one is knocked out or the time runs out. The winning team will get ten points, while the losing team will receive none! In the case of a tie, both teams will receive five points." Chapati explained.

"So…We could get unlucky…" Lisanna sighed.

"Now, it's time for Hidden to start! Each team will send out one member to compete! The rules will be explained when the members have gathered." Chapati's voice rang.

Tara watched the selected members. Yaeger from Quatro Cerberus, Beth from Mermaid Heel, Nullpudding from Raven Tail, Eve from Blue Pegasus…

…Hm…

Rufus from Sabertooth, Lyon from Lamia Scale, Gray from Fairy Tail A Team…

_Don't screw this up, Snowcone._

And finally, Juvia from Fairy Tail B Team. Tara sighed…Gray had better not distract her in this.

_Juvia, Gray…Be careful._

_You too, Eve._

**Mostly filler, and I'm sorry about that! There was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but other than that it was just building up to the next chapter. Anyway, see you all later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Fairy Tail? Haha, I don't own that! What makes you think I'll ever own Fairy Tail? Hahaha! You're funny!**

**Not really.**

**Hidden time!**

Tara watched as the members gathered in the center. She paid particular attention to Gray and Juvia, as winning this could determine the whole tournament.

And not that she'd admit it, but she was also paying attention to Eve.

Perhaps she was doing it simply because of her odd encounter with him. Or maybe it's because of his childish behavior. But either way, she watched him as well.

"Field, open!"

Tara watched in shock as a city literally materialized out of thin air. She gaped as each competitor was separated from the others, shaking her head to make sure she wasn't imagining things. But no, everyone else was just as taken aback as she was. Tara looked as screens appeared in the air, showing each competitor.

"The competitors will not be able to know where everyone else is. You all will be both hiding and seeking. You have to find the others in the town, and attack them. If you land the attack successfully, you will gain one point while the person you hit loses one and is teleported somewhere else in the town." Chapati explained once more.

But then, the twist of the event came in. A bunch of clones of the competitors appeared in the town, crowding it. There were hundreds of clones…Hundreds of every competitor.

"Those are your clones. If you mistakenly attack one, you'll lose a point and get teleported somewhere else in the town."

Tara narrowed her eyes. So…That's the trick, then. You have to find the real person, but remain hidden yourself. _Damn you, organizers._

"START! DISAPPEAR LIKE A BLACK CAT IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT!"

Tara watched the screens, each individual competitor seemed to be in deep thought. Juvia randomly hugged a Gray clone, and lost a point. _Really, Juvia…?_

Then, Gray attacked Nullpudding. But it turns out that it was his clone. Gray lost a point and was teleported elsewhere. _Clever…_

Tara watched as Gray strayed into the crowd of clones. But when she saw Nullpudding behind him, she winced when Gray got attacked again. _Is that guy purposefully attacking Gray specifically…?_

"In this field of both themselves and their opponents, how could you find the real foe?" Chapati asked the audience.

"There are several ways. You could detect their magic, for instance." Yazima responded.

"Hehe. I bet Eve-kun would have a more clever idea." Jenny stated cheerfully.

"Hm…Where is that guy, anyway?" Tara asked herself.

"Why do you ask?" Lisanna asked.

"No reason." Tara replied.

As Gray was walking, something popped up out of the ground. Beth fired…carrots…at Gray, who narrowly dodged them. But then, Beth got hit by Yaeger, who got hit by Lyon. Tara was having trouble following everything that was happening-Things were moving so quickly. Juvia launched down and hit Lyon, but then she got attacked by Nullpudding.

"Bastard…What does he have against Fairy Tail?" Tara growled.

But then, the snow started to fall. Tara looked at each of the screens, trying to find who started it. But she realized it quickly: Eve.

_That's…Honestly genius. _Tara thought, impressed.

Eve scored three points in a row. He got attacked by Lyon, and got teleported somewhere else. Tara looked down when Nullpudding attacked Gray again. When Rufus from Sabertooth launched his omni-directional attack at every single opponent, Tara couldn't help but widen her eyes.

_How…How did he do that?_

Nullpudding dodged, and launched up at Rufus. Tara thought for certain he'd land a hit, but when Nullpudding phased right through him…Tara shook her head in disbelief. Rufus then attacked the short purple-skinned man, putting him in first place. Then, the game was over. Another board appeared in the air, listing the ranks of every competitor.

First Place: Sabertooth.

To be expected.

Second Place: Raven Tail.

Damnit.

Third Place: Lamia Scale.

Hm...That guy, Lyon, is fairly strong.

Fourth Place: Blue Pegasus.

Not bad, Eve…

Fifth Place: Mermaid Heel.

Interesting.

Sixth Place: Quatro Cerberus.

Hmph.

Seventh and Eighth Place had gone to Fairy Tail B Team and Fairy Tail A Team. Juvia and Gray walked off the arena with their heads hanging. Tara tried to ignore the crowd's insults. The anger was apparent on her face, apparently, as Eve glanced up at her with a sympathetic look before walking off with his teammates. For some reason, it gave Tara an odd sense of comfort. Lucy was chosen to battle Flare from Raven Tail. Tara watched with interest, as she wanted Lucy to somehow avenge Gray. She nodded in approval when Lucy summoned Taurus and Scorpio and landed a hit on Flare. But the girl's hair grew into a wolf…Lucy summoned Cancer, who cut the wolf into pieces. Flare dug her hair into the ground, and it shot up and caught Lucy's ankles. The red-haired girl swung Lucy around, throwing her on the ground. Lucy took out her whip and caught Flare's ankle. The two went flying, eventually releasing each other. Flare sent her hair underground again, and Lucy tried to figure out where it was coming from. Tara didn't notice Flare's hair by Asuka at all. She wrapped her hair around Lucy's mouth, keeping her silent. She could only watch in shock as Flare threw Lucy around, eventually holding her up with her hair. Then, Natsu came barging into the stands. He grabbed Flare' hair and began to tear it to pieces.

…_That bitch! That's why Lucy wasn't doing anything!_

Lucy summoned Gemini, who turned into Lucy…In a bath towel...

Tara shook her head.

The two began to chant something, as magic began appearing around them. Tara grinned as a blinding light shot at Flare…

But then everything vanished.

Gemini? Gone. All those planets and stars that appeared? Gone. And Lucy collapsed to the ground.

And cried…

…**The Following Evening…**

Tara stood up from the chair she was sitting in. "I…I'm going out for a walk." She stated, before walking out of the small inn. She let the door swing and close behind her. She kept her head down as she walked through the brightly lit town, deep in thought.

_Raven Tail…They attacked Wendy, purposefully went after Gray in Hidden, and nearly hurt a child for the purpose of basically torturing one of our members. Why…? Is there some reason they hate us?_

_I know the master is Makarov's son. And Makarov seemed upset during the whole thing. Is this some father-son conflict…?_

Tara was so knee-deep in her wondering that she didn't see the person she was about to run into. She snapped out of it when she crashed into the last person she was expecting.

"Oh, hey Tara." Eve greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, it's you." Tara said. "Erm, hi."

"What brings you out here?" Eve asked her.

"I could ask you the same thing." She replied.

"Well, I rather like this city, so I came out just to sightsee. But I'm pretty sure you came here to clear your head because something's bothering you." Eve said.

_How did he know…? _"Well, that isn't of your concern." Tara countered.

"Well, that doesn't mean I can't try and help you get rid of whatever's bothering you." He replied. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Like I said, it's none of your concern." Tara repeated.

"Come on, you can tell me!" Eve said cheerfully, putting his hand on her shoulder.

_Seriously…? _"…If you have to know, I'm just bothered by today's events." Tara said, giving in.

"Oh. I get it. But don't worry, it's only the first day. Fairy Tail's got this tendency to take a beating and then come back undefeatable." Eve replied.

"And how would you know?" Tara responded bitterly.

"Oh, let me tell you the story!" Eve said excitedly. "Seven years ago, there was this guild called Oracion Seis. They were a Dark Guild, see. The Magic Council called on four Guilds to send a set of members to an area they believed Oracion Seis would strike at. Oracion Seis was after this powerful magic called Nirvana, which could transform light into darkness, and darkness into light. The four Guilds they called on were Blue Pegasus, Caitshelter, Lamia Scale, and Fairy Tail. Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Erza were chosen to represent Fairy Tail. Hibiki, Ren, Ichiya, and I were chosen to represent Blue Pegasus. But long story short, all of us who formed the 'Light Team' got destroyed the first time we fought Oracion Seis. And when Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy fought the head of Oracion Seis for the first time, they got defeated again. But they stood back up and fought again. And then we won." Eve explained.

You could see the nostalgia in his eyes.

"…Alright, you win this round." Tara surrendered.

Eve took his hand off her shoulder. For some reason, she felt somehow cold when he did. "And you know, the Tenrou Team was gone for seven years. But they bounced back up yet again. This is another case of that-Just you wait. Fairy Tail's going to come back even stronger." Eve continued.

Tara nodded. "So, you're basically saying we're going to beat Blue Pegasus?"

"Th-That's not what I meant!"

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't!"

"You kind of just said it."

"Shush."

**Am I the only one who HAS NOT FORGIVEN FLARE FOR WHAT SHE DID? If you read the manga, you'll know that *spoiler involving Flare*. I read the manga, but….SEEEEEEERIOUSLY? I CANNOT FORGIVE HER! *ranting to my mother who doesn't even watch Fairy Tail but allows me to vent my frustration to her***


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL. The only character I own is Tara. I ALSO DO NOT OWN "WANTED" BY HUNTER HAYES-But I love dat song so I wish I owned it…**

**So, um…Halloween special.**

**A day late.**

The sun shone over the beautiful town of Crocus. Every child that day was looking out their windows, eagerly awaiting for the sun to fade into night.

It was Halloween.

The night when kids would dress up and visit houses, asking for candy. When people would decorate their homes with different accessories like spider webs and bats, maybe even orange lights.

Tara hated it.

Her father had never let her partake in the holiday. Tara had never experienced that joyful feeling when the door opened, revealing a friendly face and a bowl of candy by the door.

But today, at the bar…

"Tara, are you going to dress up for Halloween?" Lucy asked her that day.

"What? No." Tara answered.

"…What? You have to, it's Halloween!" Lucy protested.

"Aren't we all a little too…Old for that?" Tara sighed.

"Too old for trick-or-treating, maybe, but dressing up? Never!" The blonde-haired Mage replied. "And plus, Crocus holds a festival every Halloween! You have to dress up!"

"Er, I'll stay here, thank you very much." Tara stated, attempting to go back to her book. But Lucy persisted.

"Tara, come on. You never take part in anything Magnolia puts on. Join in for once!" Lucy said.

"No thanks." Tara said, a sense of finality in her voice.

"Ugh…Erza!" Lucy called.

The scarlet-haired woman walked over. "Yes, Lucy?"

"Tara doesn't want to celebrate Halloween…" Lucy sighed.

"What?" Erza growled. A sword materialized into her hand, which she pointed at Tara. "Tara, you never participate. Join in once and we will never bother you about it again."

Tara looked at the sword, inches from her face. She nervously glanced up at Erza, then Lucy, then back at the weapon in front of her. "F-Fine…"

"Good!" Erza cheered, letting the sword fade.

"Come on, Tara, let's go get your costume!" Lucy proclaimed, grabbing Tara's hand and dragging her out of the bar.

"Uwah!" Tara cried out in shock.

"Alright, there's this great Halloween shop I know that's perfect! Hopefully there are still costumes left, since you're buying it kind of late…" Lucy spoke, saying her words a mile a minute.

"E-Er, okay…" Tara replied.

Lucy dragged her down the street to an orange and black building. The two girls went into the store, which was filled with different decorations and costumes. There were smoke machines on the top of the shelves, spewing smoke that gave an odd sort of atmosphere. Lucy released her grip on Tara, who

"Alright, let's look at the costumes!" Lucy said excitedly.

"Alright…" Tara sighed.

Tara proved to be the _hardest _person to buy a costume for in existence. Lucy tried everything-It had been at least an hour that she'd tried to persuade Tara to at least _try something on._

"Well, what about a raccoon?" Lucy said, the frustration in her voice apparent.

"No." Tara said.

"Um, a fox?" Lucy tried.

"No." Tara repeated.

"Ergh…A crayon?" Lucy asked.

"No." Tara said again.

They started walking back down the row of shelves for what seemed like the hundredth time. The two girls seemed equally irritated.

"What about this?"

"No."

"What about this one?"

"No."

"This one?"

"No."

Lucy let out a groan of frustration. She and Tara began to walk away from the line of shelves, when they saw a teenage girl with her mother.

"It's a shame that it doesn't fit you-It's such a cute costume!" The mother said.

"Oh well…" The teenage girl sighed.

The mother put the costume (which was folded and in a large plastic case) back on the shelf, and the teenage girl and her mother walked away. Lucy walked over to the costume they put back on the shelf.

"Tara, this is PERFECT!" Lucy cheered.

Tara sighed. "What is it?"

Lucy pulled the costume off the shelf. The picture on the front of the plastic case showed a girl wearing the costume. The costume was a long dress that went to the wearer's knees, with a large silvery ribbon around the waist that had small white snowflakes spread around on it. The dress itself was white with silvery-white snowflakes on it and glitter spread out on it. It also featured wispy white wings that had glitter as well. The dress had white sleeves that were see-through. In big white letters on the top of the plastic case were the words 'Snow Fairy'.

The costume was actually quite beautiful.

_Heehee…This is perfect. Eve'll love this..._ Lucy thought, grinning.

"Uh…It might work…" Tara said slowly.

"Go try it on!" Lucy said excitedly, giving the costume to Tara.

The two girls walked to the back of the store where several changing rooms were located. Tara walked into one, and changed into the costume.

"Taraaaa, you look beautiful!" Lucy exclaimed.

"E-Er…Thanks…" Tara stuttered.

…**Several Hours Later…**

The whole town was lit up with orange lights. The moon glowed brightly on this Halloween night…Stalls with masks and candy littered the streets, including some face-paint stands. Children dashed about, laughing and dressed up as all sorts of things.

Three young men also walked the streets, exploring the city.

"I can't believe you guys dragged me into a polar bear hoodie." Eve sighed.

Hibiki and Ren had persuaded Eve to put on a polar bear hoodie, complete with a grayish-white color and small ears on top of the hood, which they had made him put over his head.

The whole thing was just amusing to his fellow teammates.

"Well, you have to admit it's fitting." Ren stated.

"You guys aren't dressed up!" Eve growled.

"Well…You know, we're too old for this." Hibiki stated.

"And you_ are_ the youngest…" Ren added.

"Whatever." Eve sighed.

The three walked the streets, taking in the sights of the decorations and lights. There were even a few Mages performing tricks for the younger kids, who were cheering with glee. Everything seemed bright and happy. Eve glanced over his shoulder, and stopped. Ren and Hibiki noticed this, and stopped as well.

"Hey, Eve, what are you staring at?" The two asked.

"U-Uh, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up…" Eve stated.

Hibiki looked at Eve, then followed his line of sight to what he was looking at.

Of course, it was Tara.

The Archive mage grinned. "Come on, Ren, let's do what he says."

"Alright, but…" Ren began. Hibiki nodded toward Tara, who was walking with Lucy and Erza. "Ohhh…Good luck, Eve." Ren continued, grinning and walking away with Hibiki.

Eve, gathering his courage, walked over to Tara, Lucy, and Erza. Seeing him, Lucy and Erza laughed a bit and quietly walked away, whispering about how well their plan had worked.

Tara, who was looking down at a bowl of candy, glanced up at the Snow Mage. Eve could see how much work had been put into her appearance. Her hair fell down to the middle of her back instead of being up in its usual ponytail or braid, and was perfectly cut (he assumed it had been done by Cancer). She must have visited a face-paint shop, as there was a snowflake delicately painted onto her cheek. She had white heels on to match her costume.

She looked absolutely stunning.

Tara looked at Eve. She almost smiled at his costume; He looked adorable. She knew Erza and Lucy had walked away, leaving her with him. His bangs were visible, despite the fact that he had his hood up. She noticed the little polar bear ears, a nice touch.

Ah, he did indeed look adorable.

Not that she'd admit to thinking that.

"O-Oh, uh…Hi." She stuttered.

"Hi, Tara." Eve replied, trying not to stare at her too much.

The two walked away from the stand and down the street.

"Sorry-I have to say, you look gorgeous." Eve commented.

Tara blushed, which Eve smiled at. "U-Uh, thanks."

"No problem. It's the truth, after all." Eve replied, winking at her.

Tara looked down, hoping to hide her blush. But of course, she didn't.

"You know, they're going to have fireworks at eleven down by the town square." Eve said. "Are you going?"

"Yeah, I'm going. It's about ten-thirty, right?" Tara asked.

"Mhm. I'm glad you're coming, it's a great show every year." He answered.

"So I've heard. By the way, the polar bear costume was a nice choice." Tara said, grinning and looking up at him.

"Ugh. Ren and Hibiki made me wear it." Eve muttered.

"I know the feeling. Lucy and Erza made me wear this." Tara stated.

"Well, I should thank them then." Eve replied, smiling.

"Sh-Shut up." Tara stuttered.

"Well, I happen to love snow. So…That means I'm going to have a hard time not complementing you." Eve said, his smile growing wider.

"Whatever." Tara muttered.

"Heh. You're so cute, you know that?" Eve said, thinking out loud.

"What?"

"Hm? Nothing."

"You said something."

"No, I didn't. Come on, the fireworks start in ten minutes."

Tara and Eve walked down the road to the large central square of Crocus. The square had tiles of white and red, stretching out like a flower. In the center stood a tall, beautiful fountain made of marble. The center of the fountain was a spiral that water shot out of. The water appeared to be 'carried' down by little marble mermaids.

"It's…Beautiful. I've never been here before." Tara stated.

"I'm surprised you haven't been here before. And yes, it is beautiful." Eve replied, smiling.

"…Why are you always smiling?" Tara asked.

"What do you mean?" Eve asked in reply.

"You're…Always smiling. Always cheery. Why is that?" Tara asked.

"Because smiling lifts the mood around other people, and sometimes it just feels good to smile." He replied, and of course, smiling at the same time. "You seem happier when I smile, or at least a bit more gentle." He continued, and winked.

Tara rolled her eyes. "Sure I do."

More and more people walked into the town square, anticipating the firework show. Soon, a booming sound was heard and sparks lit the sky. Tara marveled at the sight of the fireworks in the sky…They were gorgeous. She smiled as color scattered in the sky with a loud boom. Eve glanced at her, noticing that the fireworks were reflected in her eyes. She noticed that he was staring at her, and looked over at him. He looked back up at the fireworks quickly, feeling somehow awkward. Tara looked up at the fireworks as well. Another minute passed before the fireworks stopped, and people quickly left the square.

"So, um…I'll see you tomorrow…" Eve stammered.

"Maybe." Tara responded, nodding her head.

_Maybe._

**By the way, my birthday's on the fourth, super excited! Anyway, happy November everyone!**


End file.
